Too close to call; Atkins and Bonino neck-in-neck in race for Eureka's 2nd Ward seat

Incumbent Linda Atkins and challenger Joe Bonino remain locked in a tight race for the Eureka City Council's 2nd Ward seat, with preliminary results released Tuesday night showing a race too close to call.

Atkins held a 208-vote lead at midnight, garnering 50.75 percent of the vote in the third report of preliminary results, with Bonino following at 48.07 percent, and write-in candidate Charlie Bean coming in third with 35 votes. Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich said early Tuesday evening that the race is unlikely to see a clear victor until later in the week.

Crnich said a large number of vote-by-mail and provisional ballots submitted Tuesday still need to be verified and counted over the next few days, likely leaving several local races in limbo.

"Without having the final tally of those provisional and vote-by-mail ballots that were submitted today, you don't know if it's enough to swing the results -- especially if the results are close," Crnich said, adding that she expected to have a better idea today of the number of outstanding provisional and vote-by-mail ballots.

In Eureka, candidates must reside in a ward to run for the seat, but they are elected citywide.

Atkins said she was encouraged as she watched the results trickle in at the Humboldt Democratic Headquarters in Eureka. First elected in 2008, Atkins said a desire to represent all the members of her community and finish projects, like the strategic plan and ordinance update, are what prompted her to run for re-election.

"There may be a lot of money on the other side, and a lot of misinformation being spread, but right now I am feeling pretty confident," she said. "Let's just wait till we get all the ballots counted."

On Tuesday night, family and friends rallied around Bonino as he celebrated his campaign at Babetta's Restaurant in Eureka. The HSU payroll technician said he was proud of the outpouring of support he's received during this election, and remains optimistic about the outcome of the race.

The 54-year-old surprised many when he turned in papers on the cusp of the filing deadline. Bonino said he decided to enter the race after learning that Atkins was running unopposed. Since entering, Bonino -- who ran on a platform of job creation and public safety -- out raised Atkins by more than $10,000, according to the most recent campaign disclosure statements.

"It's always difficult to predict outcomes based off initial results, especially in a close race," he said. "Right now, we are all just waiting to see what will happen."

From his home, write-in candidate Bean said he was disappointed by the initial results.

The 56-year-old Humboldt County native, who lost the use of his legs at the age of 18 in a motorcycle accident, said he long considered running for the council seat, and was glad he had entered.

During his campaign, Bean said he planned to focus on making the city more accessible for those with disabilities, and to put more pressure on job creation.

While he had hoped for a win, Bean said he recognized running as a write-in candidate was an uphill battle.

"Hey, you live and you learn," he said. "I was expected to do a little better on the write-in-ballots, but it's all in fun. I got to meet a lot of good people, and now I am just looking to the future."

Crnich said she hopes Humboldt County residents awaiting final election results will keep in mind that although the polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, those in the elections office are just now getting to the real work. In addition to tallying the provisional and vote-by-mail ballots that are still outstanding, Crnich said her office will also be working over the next few days to remake close to 600 vote-by-mail ballots that came in damaged or with identifying marks.

"Elections Day is the exciting high point, but there is so much still left to be done after it's over," she said. "Our priority now is make sure every vote that was cast is counted accurately. That will take time."